Atlanta Business Owner Sentenced For Receiving Child Pornography

ATLANTA –Thomas Joseph Schloeder, who was the co-owner of the Atlanta business Brushstrokes, has been sentenced for receiving thousands of images and videos of child pornography on his home computer.

“Collecting images and videos showing the sexual abuse of children is a despicable act,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Our continued work to prosecute and punish individuals who possess, receive and distribute child pornography should serve notice to those who may consider engaging in this behavior that it will not be tolerated.”

“There are few crimes more heinous than the sexual abuse of a child,” said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta. “Protecting our children from those who exploit them is a top priority for HSI. We will continue to work closely with our partners at the DeKalb County Police Department to investigate these crimes and bring child predators to justice.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the criminal indictment, and information presented in court: In November 2012, a detective with the police department of DeKalb County, Ga., conducted an investigation of individuals using peer-to-peer technology to download child pornography and make it available to others. During that investigation, he determined that a computer located at Thomas Schloeder’s home had made available over 100 images of child pornography over the preceding months. On November 15, 2012, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his home and seized several computers and electronic storage devices. A subsequent forensic examination of those items revealed several thousand images and videos of child pornography, some of which contained depictions of minors being raped by adults and sex acts between minors and animals.

Schloeder, 47, of Brookhaven, Ga., was sentenced today to 8 years, 1 month in federal prison by United States District Judge Orinda D. Evans to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $75,000. The defendant will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the DeKalb County Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorney Jill E. Steinberg is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.